Frensham Village Churches

Letter from the Vicarage - April 2017

BLESSINGS FROM THE VICARAGE

Dear
Brothers and Sisters,

April
is very much a time of change and growth. We can see it all around us as nature
changes – as new shoots are emerging from the soil and rising up; little lambs
are being born and are learning to stand; the sticky buds of trees are opening
into leaves whose unfolding raises them toward the sun and the chlorophyll
within them is making the oxygen we need to breathe and live. Creation in April is such a blessing – it gives not only the hope of
continued life after the harshness of winter but even more than that – the
blessing of new life…

‘Blessing’
or ‘Blessed’ are words that are not used as much nowadays – possibly because
some associate it with organised religion which they don’t think is a blessing
anymore. This a great shame because using the words ‘blessed’ or ‘blessing’
could have great meaning and impact.

I was
reading a story recently of a man waiting for a repeat prescription from the
doctor in a waiting room. Someone walked by and said to the man, “Have a
blessed day.” Another person in the room said, “Now that’s a great phrase”. The
first man agreed and said, “Absolutely – did you know that ‘blessed’ means ‘God
will make you rise’?” The second person said, “Wow! What a marvellous way to
think about being blessed. If God is going to make you rise, then God is going
to bring new life and love and energy into your life! That is very healing.
That is indeed blessedness!”

What a
good way to think of being blessed - being raised
up.

What
raises us up? People’s thoughtfulness... People’s kindness… People’s love and
care… Being respected and valued by all…

This
may feel like I’m going off on a tangent, but have you ever wondered why God made God’s existence known in and through a human? Well, I can tell
you it wasn’t because God wanted us to idolise the man Jesus, although many
Christians and churches still make that mistake. No – I believe God became
incarnate as Jesus Christ so that the dormant seed of God in us - the ‘hidden
divinity’ within each person - could be revealed with all its potential for
healing and goodness; so that through this revelation, the natural intrinsic
divinity within us could wake from its ‘winter slumber’ and rise again (just
like the shoots and lambs and buds) so
that we may be God’s blessing to each other. So that we can help in God’s
plan to raise each other (together with all creation) up in God’s and our love. When the divine joins with
creation, creation is blessed – it is healed and raised up…

Blessing
is naturally intrinsic in all creation as I alluded to in my opening comments.
But humans with all their intelligence and freewill for the most part seem to
have lost that essential connexion and thus the catalyst for the awakening of
their divine nature. In short – for the most part we are stuck in winter – a
bit like the story in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. If
you remember the White witch – she wasn’t thoughtful in any good way, or kind;
there was no love or care, just selfishness and greed; neither animals nor
humans were respected or valued… she made life a deathly misery – indeed she
caused death. But when the divine crept in, when Aslan the Lion (the
representation of Jesus Christ) came, the snow began to thaw and the animals
gained hope. As Aslan then went through death and rose again, all the animals
grew in strength and faith as the blessing of life returned.

As the
blessing of life returns and becomes apparent to us this April, may we reflect
on what or who or which system is holding us and the world in wintertide. Then,
when we join and journey with Jesus Christ through the end of Lent, through
Holy Week to Good Friday – as we recount his life of service and healing, his
suffering, sacrifice and death - may we
leave those things that are harmful and detrimental to life at the foot of his
cross – may we let them die with him. As we then recall his resurrection – the
blessing – his being raised up - may we follow his example too and with God’s
help rise up as New Easter People full of the life, love and energy of God in
creation. And, as we are released and transformed, may we not only give thanks
to God in songs of praise and shouts of ‘Alleluias!’ but also remain connected
and remember to put into practice the blessing and the raising up of other
people too…